Waddenland. Full of stories

Welcome to Waddenland!

The Waddenland region stretches from the village of Lauwersoog in the northwest to Noordpolderzijl, the Netherlands' smallest seaport beyond the dikes in the northeast. Lauwersmeer National Park forms the area's western border. The beautiful Reitdiep waterway, formed partly by canals and in other places meandering naturally, transverses the Waddenland and is part of the oldest manmade landscape in the Netherlands. The villages of Garnwerd, Feerwerd and Ezinge and the hamlet of Electra mark the area's southern boundary. The Middag-Humsterland National Landscape also makes up part of this beautiful region. To the north the Wadden Sea, which UNESCO officially declared a World Heritage Site in 2009, forms a natural border.

The area is proud of its rich heritage. For centuries this has been a water rich, marshy region. The inhabitants have battled the rising waters ever since the region was first settled. Powered by the tides and the wind and managed by the efforts of man, a fertile landscape of clay has been slowly but progressively won from the sea. In numerous areas there is evidence of habitation dating back 2500 years. These were concentrated on natural landscape rises (salt marsh banks) or on artificially raised mounds. The dynamism which shaped the area is expressed in the diversity of landscape; centuries' old marshlands, beautifully located mound villages, silted up arms of the river Hunze and the wide scale polder landscape in the young coastal region.

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An ultimate tourist destination to explore on foot, by bicycle, car or boat. Many traditional villages are just a stone's throw from each other. There are ample B&Bs, restaurants, tea rooms and other welcoming establishments where the tired visitor can relax and replenish. Almost every village has a gallery and the area offers a wealth of fascinating museums. For those who like their leisure time active, there is plenty to choose from; swimming, canoeing, surfing, kiting within the dikes, walks across the mudflats, seal tours and boat trips on the Wadden Sea.